Flexible metal floor-mat.



No. 705,6m. Raten-ted July 29, |902.

G. w. H. McNEELY.

FLEXIBLE METAL `FLuoR MAT.

(Application led Dec. 13, 1901.)

(lll) Mdal.)

UNITED STATES 1 `PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. MCNEELY AND HENRY MONEELY, OF MARSHALLTOVN, IOWA.

FLEXIBLE METAL FLOORIMAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patentv No."705,601, dated J'uly` 29, 1902. Application led December 13, 1901. Serial No. 85,785-(Nmodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that we,GEoRGE W. MONEELY and HENRY MCNEELY, citizens of theUnited States,residing at Marshalltown,in the county ,of Marshall andState of Iowa, have invented straight wires extendedfrom one edge ofthev mat to the other 5 butwires thus applied are subject to be bent andbowed and will not resume straight parallel positions relative `to eachother because there are no longitudinal lines of fleXure in the mat.

Our object is to provide flexure in such mats to allow the side portionsof a mat to bend upward and downward a limited degree along"longitudinal lines extending at right angles to the wires withoutbending the wires that extend transversely throughthe mat for piv`otally connecting contiguous transverse rows of the short pieces byshortstraight-pieces ofwires flexibly connected at their ends, so thatthey willallow flexure of the matalong a longitudinal line,as requiredto retain the transverse rows of the short pieces of fiat metal instraight lines when the mat is resting upon a flat surface.

A further object is to construct the sheetmetal binding-plates in such amanner that they will be uniform in thickness with the width of theshort metal pieces, and consequently level with the top surface of a matwhen it is flat on a floor, as required for practical use.

Our invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combinationof parts, as hereinafterset forth,pointed outin our claims, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, inrwhich Figure l is aperspective view that shows how contiguous rows of short laterally-bentpieces are connected by pieces of wire that are linked together toproduce Hexure along mat.

a longitudinal line in a mat. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View of asheet-metal bindingstrip that corresponds in thickness with the width`of the short laterally-bent pieces, as required to keep the surfaces ofthe binding level with the surfaces of the mat. Fig. 3 is a top view ofa complete mat and shows the relative positions of the dierent parts asrequired to produce flexure along longitudinal lines and also alongtransverse lines.

The numerals l0 designate short and flat metal pieces bent laterallyattheir central portions and perforated at their ends. Contiguous rowsof the short pieces l0 are pivotally connected by short and straightwires l2, and the contiguous ends ofthe short wires are hinged together,as shown in Fig. 1, or in anysuitable waylthat will allow iiexurebetween them without bending them and also iiexure along a longitudinalline in a complete mat,as required to prevent the wires from becomingbent to such a degree as to interfere withthe mat being placed flat upona [ioor Without'first straightening the wires.

A rigid metal binding-plate i4 to stiften and strengthenthe ends'of amat and toaid in keeping the mat square is made of astraight piece ofsheet metal by doubling the parallel edges inward and toward each othertwice to produce threeV overlying parts in each edge and then upon eachother by doubling the Vplate at its central line to produce sixoverlying portions at that outer edge, as shown in Fig. 3. Thebinding-plate will thus be of uniform thickness and correspond with thewidth of the small pieces 10, that constitute the body portion of themat.

To connect the binding-plates let with the ends of the mat, their inneredges are provided with transverse slots to admit overlying perforatedends of the short laterally-bent pieces 10, and by extending a wire 15through the doubled inner edge portion. of the binding-plate and thecoinciding perforations in the ends of the short pieces l0 the`bindingplates are securely hinged to the ends of the To preventlongitudinal movement of the wires l5, their ends are bent backward,

as shown, or otherwise fastened.

It is obvious the rigid binding at the ends of the mat may be omittedwithout affecting the operation of the short wires linked to* IOS)gether at their inner ends to produce a subcombination that is essentialin providing f'leXure in longitudinal lines, as described.

Having thus described the purpose and construction of ourinvention, itspractical utility will be readily understood by persons familiar withthe art to which it pertains.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a flexible metal mat a plurality of transverse rows of shortpieces of flat metal bent laterally at their central portions andperforated at their ends and the contiguous rows pivotally connected bya plurality` of short wires linked together to produce flexure alonglines extending at right angles to the wires for the purposes stated.

2. In a flexible metal mat, a binding-plate rnade of sheet metal and theparallel edges doubled inward twice to produce three overlying portionsat each edge of the plate and then doubled along a longitudinal centralline to produce six overlying portionsat the outer edge of the linishedbinding-plate and provided with a plurality of transverse slots in theinner edge ofthe plate and adapted to be pivotally connected with theends of an end row of short pieces of flat metal bent laterally at theircenters and perforated at their ends in the manner set forth for thepurposes stated.

3. An improved Iiexible metal iioor mat comprising parallel transverserows of short pieces of iiat inetal bent laterally at their centerportions and perforated at their ends, a plurality of straight pieces ofwire extended through the overlying perforated ends of the short metalpieces bent laterally at their central portions and the contiguous endsof the wires linked together and binding plates made of sheet metalhaving six overlying parts at their outer edges and transverse slots attheir inner edges pivotally connected with the ends of the mat, arrangedand combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

Witnesses:

D. T. DENMEAD, H. S. LAURENCE.

